Raphael Sbarge

Raphael Sbarge (b. 1964) is an actor who played Jake Straka on the drama The Guardian for three seasons and had a recurring role on Star Trek: Voyager as William Jonas and Once Upon A Time as Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket. The son of a theatrical costumer, Sbarge briefly appeared as one of the Kids on Sesame Street, around the age of five:

“

I was attending a progressive pre-school in Manhattan when some producers from Sesame Street came around to look for very young talent. I guess they picked me because I was cute. It was fun, but faded away quickly. It wasn't until six years later that I found out that my mother had turned down a contract offer from Sesame Street - she didn't want me in show business before I was able to make up my own mind. [1]

”

In another interview, he said: "It’s kind of random, honestly. It was the first year of Sesame Street, we were living in NYC; I was going to public school on the Lower East side, ( close to where they were shooting) and they were looking for kids… I was 4 1/2, and just happened to be there. I still have vivid memories of my time on the set, meeting Oscar, Big Bird, Mr. Hooper. Ultimately, I became a huge fan of the show, as well— I learned my alphabet on Sesame Street!"[2]

Sbarge's film credits include playing the male lead in the 1993 killer dinosaur movie Carnosaur, and smaller roles in Vision Quest, My Science Project, Independence Day, Pearl Harbour, and Home Room. In television, he starred on the short-lived teen drama Better Days' in 1986, played Tom Sawyer as a cocky lawyer in the TV movie Back to Hannibal, the voice of the DC Comics character Deadman in an episode of Justice League, Ray Wallace for four episodes of 24, and guest spots on The Cosby Show, three CSI shows, Will & Grace, and The Closer.